The most uncool tasting ever?

Heartily sick of all the controversies surrounding the BTEC, tired of posh phoney bottlings like Black Snoozing Hill and Olde St. wotsisname, I decided to revolt in the most tasteful manner I could think of so I went out and bought a bottle of Seagram´s 7 Crown.

This has been a staple in Sweden for as long as I can remember but it´s been ages since I last had a sip of it. I have always been unable to judge a whiskey properly unless I try it along with some related species, so to complete the uncoolness of the event I chose that despised 74 proof sub-species Sam Cougar Indiana bourbon (which may or may not be included in 7 Crown) and also, since there´s no other American blend available here I chose a beloved “brown Vodka”, the Schenley OFC 8yo, as a complementary blend. This is what I experienced :

NOSE :

SOFC : English toffee with discreet spices. Slightly spirity.

SC : Dry, sugar-free toffee. Some mineral-like freshness.

S7C : Heavy vanilla and dark chocolate toffee. Somewhat subdued.

PALATE :

SOFC : More or less a continuation of the nose. Good mix of grains leads to a pleasant toffee
experience. Somewhat ruined, though, by an underlying spirituosness (?)

SC : The toffee and minerals from the nose present themselves here, as well, but they are
overtaken by luscious citrus-fruits. Not that dissimilar to a less intrusive EC 12, in
fact. Remarkably non-sweet.

S7C : Starts out in wonderful hedonistic style : chocolate pudding with whipped cream.
one senses, though, in the background, a stuttering rye presence which in the end,
in a staccato-like manner eclipses everything else.

FINISH :

SOFC : Here it suddenly comes into its own : wonderful sparkling rye-infested (?) spice,
which lingers on. Didn´t remember this from the last time I tried it.

SC : Mostly spicy corn. Not bad but hardly a revelation, either.

S7C : The chocolate pudding returns with a vengeance here, making for a pleasant round
off of a surprisingly potent whiskey.

All in all, I was most surprised by the 7 Crown. I had expected something thin and spirity and
came away more or less satisfied. Of course, it cannot compare to the Staggs or Van Winkles of this world but a potent drink, all the same. Wish there was some other American blend available so you´d get the chance to compare it in a more apt manner.

Good notes Hedmans. 7 Crown 20 years ago was a drink of character and it sounds like it is coming back to form, or maybe Europe always had "the real thing". Schenley OFC in Canada is not 8 years old unless I am much mistaken, it is 4 years old. So you have a premium version I think.

I am pretty sure that I have had 7 Crown some 20 years ago but, back then, my taste buds weren´t developed enough to be able to make any far reaching conclusions. I remember that I almost always opted for JD No. 7, possibly due to the same reasons people of today is flocking to buy highly peated products, i.e. it had an outgoing personality which you felt that you became acquainted with almost instantaneously.

The Schenley 8yo is a 1000 ml bottle, which probably marks it as one of those taxfree/airport kind of things.

Lately, Hedmans, I've become quite the model citizen, tolerating even the most abject whiskey behavior!

That´s most unfortunate to hear! You wouldn´t be able to make an exception in my case?

Joking aside : a post of yours of some years back where you stated something like "no Tn whiskey in my bunker and counting" really got stuck in my mind, what with me being quite a fan of both JD and Dickel. But that´s cool - versatility and diversity should be the guideline of SB.com.

Unfortunately my proposed JD orgy might have to be postponed. One of the bottles needed for the extravaganza arrived from London friday last week. However, the Swedish Postal Service screwed up badly, so my parcel (which also included my first bottle of young Sazerac) ended up behind bolts and locks in some depot on the outskirts of town instead of sweetening my weekend.

I will have very little time this week so don´t hold your breath! (Not that I believe anyone does )